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Atoms Through a Microscope

April 7, 2009

Electron shell of an atom

Russian engineers from the town of Dolgoprudny (Moscow Region) currently work on a new measuring device with subatomic resolution – protonic nano-introscope. This device is expected to expand existing methods of electron and probe microscopy, as well as unveil new horizons for studying structures with atomic and subatomic dimensions. The device has many merits: small size and reasonable cost are among them, and its resolution is very high. Developers believe that their innovation will replace (in a number of cases) existing electronic microscopes with high resolution, the majority of which is expensive, bulky and not very easy to operate. All this means that more educational and research institutions can afford this device for their studies.

Developers promise that their innovation – nano-introscope – will show not only atoms, but even electron shells of single atoms. Today no microscopes in the world can boast such a high resolution. Atoms can be seen in atomic-force microscopes, but only as peaks on a diagram. New measuring device currently exists only as a model, which switches on an auto-ionic source of protons and a detector, which looks like a “pod” nanotube, filled with ceric metallofullerenes and secured on a silicone cantilever. Russian scientists filled the device with their latest developments: pod nanotubes, full of cerium atoms, packed in fullerenes, and a new source of protons. The model of a nano-introscope has already passed tests.

Atomic-force microscope

Degree of novelty of the Russian development can be seen in a patent protection of the protonic nano-introscope: during their investigation the scientists patented proton sources with electronic ionization, proton sources with photoionization, and a source, which forms a proton beam.

A crucial component of the new device is a position-corner detector of a new type, which will provide resolving power of 0.01 nanometers. In other words, one can use a microscope not only for staring at single atoms or molecules, but for wondering at shape and structure of electron shells of individual atoms. Such a close look at the micro-world may again unfix all established notions about processes, which take place in it.

Well, we yet cannot talk about industrial production of protonic nano-introscopes, since further scientific investigation is required and will be performed. However, results, obtained by researchers during development of a new microscope and in the course of tests, are of a great interest to science. While, for instance, studying relationship between luminescence of detectors with coordinates and incidence angle of a photon beam, researchers understood how the new detector should have been implemented in real life.

Scientists created the model of the protonic nano-introscope with subatomic resolution with the help of Federal Russian Agency of Science and Innovations.

Source: Science News

Kizilova Anna

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shankarprakash raja.r :
atom view

Added: 06 May 2009 19:05

BRIGHT OPTICAL :
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Added: 05 August 2009 06:20

rick :
from Pier Luigi Ighina's book: The Magnetic Atom "But there still was the problem of having a stronger microscope. He invented a microscope (see later) with which he was finally able to observe the atoms at a enlargement of 1.6 billion times. Through his observation he noticed that the atoms had a pulsation and, with every pulsation, a luminous circle would leave the centre of the atom and get bigger moving away from it. The different circles would create some kind of shield around the atom. He concluded that the atoms don’t oscillate but vibrate, and that it is possible to divide its energy but not the atom itself. He also noticed that after a while, the atom excited to its maximum by the light atoms would explode, and after that there were two atoms. He called this phenomenon the reproduction of matter. He observed that different matter have different pulsations. These atoms, which he called “reproductive permanents”, are present in all organic matter, while in the minerals the atoms don’t have any reproduction unless they are excited from atoms with more power."

Added: 17 October 2009 21:14